The effectiveness of group narrative therapy on reducing identity crisis and mental health improvement of Divandarre students

Introduction: Narrative therapy is a rather new approach based on the postmodern approach in treatment of mental disorders. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of group therapy on reducing identity crisis and mental health improvement of boy students at Divandarreh high schools. Methods: In a semi-experimental study targeting all boy students studying at Divandarreh high schools (2011-2012) where two high schools were randomly selected. GHQ and Berzonsky identity style questionnaires were distributed. Thirty students - whose scores for mental health and identity crisis were 1 standard deviation lower than the average – were randomly divided into trial and control groups. Multivariate covariance analysis was used for the analysis of the data in SPSS software Package (version 19). Results: The findings showed that narrative therapy could be effective for both reducing identity crisis and achieving normal identity. Narrative therapy also effects on improving the mental health. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study as well as the negative impacts of identity crisis on one hand and low mental health on personality development and talent flourish of the individual on the other hand, it is recommended to use narrative therapy for the treatment of such disorders.